Launched in February 2021, Realme's Narzo 30A is still at a great price (Rs. 9,999 with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage variant). It combines a practical design with decent visual camera performance to provide excellent battery life.
Still, there have been many changes since then, and other brands have been able to offer even better value for money. For example, the Infinix Hot 11S has a 90Hz refresh rate display, stereo speakers, and Rs. It has excellent specifications of Rs.10,999.
The Realme Narzo 50A is not the successor to the Narzo 30A (review), but it is a very different model that fits comfortably between the Narzo 20 (from Rs.10,499) and the more expensive Narzo 30 5G (from Rs.14,999).
After using the Realme Narzo 50A for a week, it's clear that it offers excellent battery life. However, it's not a clear winner when compared to similarly expensive smartphones such as the Infinix Hot 11S and Redmi 10 Prime.
Is it still enough for anyone looking for a basic budget smartphone with decent battery life?
Price of Realme Narzo 50A in India
The Realme Narzo 50A has two finishes, Oxygen Blue and Oxygen Green. There are two variants to choose from. The 4GB RAM and 64GB storage option costs Rs 11,499, but can also be purchased with 128GB storage. 12,499. When choosing the Narzo 50A, the 128GB storage variant is more cost-effective than the competition, mostly because the Redmi 10 Prime's 6GB RAM and 128GB storage variants are much more expensive at Rs. 14,499.
Realme Narzo50A Design
The Realme Narzo 50A adheres to the company's well-known design principles, with a simple yet practical polycarbonate back panel. The back is a 207g big and heavy smartphone, so it has a fine groove-like texture that is useful for gripping.
The rear camera module extends to the center of the phone and involves a fingerprint reader. I often had a hard time finding a barely dented fingerprint reader, as it barely sticks out of the rest of my back.
The matte finish of the plastic body and the fine groove structure keep the back of the smartphone clean. What I didn't like was how clunky this device was for everyday use. The 6.5-inch display has a waterdrop-style notch. It was a dirt magnet and it wasn't easy to wipe off that dirt, so I had a hard time keeping it clean.
Realme Narzo 50A Specifications and Software
The Narzo 50A offers the MediaTek Helio G85 SoC, but with 4GB of LPDDR4X RAM standard in two storage variants, 64GB and 128GB. The phone has a dedicated microSD card slot for storage expansion (up to 256GB). Communication standards include WiFi ac, Bluetooth 5, and various satellite navigation systems.
The Realme Narzo 50A runs Realme UI 2.0 based on Android 11. Visually, it's no different than what's available on other Realme smartphones. The focus of the user interface is on customization. There are also many pre-installed third-party apps, most of which can be uninstalled.
Third-party apps didn't send annoying notifications (unless I turned them on), but the theme store didn't fail to send one or two promotional notifications daily. I was also a little surprised when the ad appeared in the default file manager app (there are two such apps).
Realme Narzo 50A Performance and Battery Life
The Realme Narzo 50A managed 55fps and 16fps in GFXBench's TRex and Manhattan 3.1 tests, respectively. He also won 356 and 1,352 in Geekbench's single-core and multi-core tests. When it comes to games, the Narzo 50A is good for casual titles, but demanding games don't run smoothly.
Call of Duty: Mobile was almost playable with default low graphics and medium frame rate settings.
Also, the phone got hot rapidly during the game, which subsequently affected performance. Asphalt 9: Legend's performance has improved, but with a lot of on-screen action, frames have been dropped and there is a slight delay. If you're looking for an affordable game console, the Infinix Hot 11S is definitely a better choice.
The waterdrop-style notch on the Narzo 50A looks a bit outdated compared to competitors' hole punch displays. I was surprised that the text and icons look clear enough as the HD + resolution spread across the 6.5-inch display. The viewing angle was decent and the display was bright enough outdoors.
A little disappointing was the Widevine L3 certification, which only allows playback quality for SD video streaming. The content streamed on Amazon Prime Video and Netflix didn't look sharp. There are no stereo speakers, but the single speakers were big and clear enough to watch a movie or make a phone call. When using your smartphone as your primary video viewing device, Redmi 10 Prime offers a better Full HD + display, along with Widevine L1 certification for HD playback quality.
The Narzo 50A's 6,000mAh battery lasted for two days under normal use, such as taking pictures or playing casual games. With low usage (calls and messages), the phone can last up to 3 days on a single charge. Our HD video loop battery test lasted 30 hours and 12 minutes. This is also excellent for such large batteries. The included 18W charger was 100% charged from the dead battery in 3 hours and 5 minutes without improving charging.
Realme Narzo 50A Camera
The Narzo 50A has a 50-megapixel primary camera, a 2-megapixel portrait lens for depth calculation, and a 2-megapixel macro camera. Selfie photos are processed by an 8-megapixel front camera. The camera interface does not change. Video recording is limited to 1080p and 30fps on both the front and rear cameras.
The photos taken in the sunlight had little detail resolved. Even if I zoomed in on the screen a little, the texture looked flat. The dynamic range was decent and the colors were pretty neutral. Selfies had excellent detail and dynamic range but looked a bit sharp.
Edge detection in portrait mode was below average, causing haircuts and sometimes blurring ears. The macros taken with the 2MP macro camera are also not great, they look too sharp and dramatic, and the contrast is high.
Detail levels continued to decline when taken indoors and indoors with tungsten lighting. Night mode was able to reduce the glare from bright streetlights in dark places, but these photos were not deep and did not look sharp.
The video is pretty average and has a lot of details, but it looked pretty erratic due to its instability. In the low light video, the highlights were blown away, and noisy, and the details were vague.
Final Words
Despite that problem, the Realme Narzo 50A needs top-notch battery life and can be a great smartphone, even if you only run basic apps. However, competitors cannot be ignored. Most of the competitors offer better performance and hardware at similar prices. Infinix Hot 11S Rs FullHD + 90Hz refresh rate display, smooth software, and dual speakers. It will be offered at 10,999. There is also a Redmi 10 Prime. It features Widevine L1 support, stereo speakers, 4 rear cameras, and a 6,000mAh battery to provide a better video streaming experience at the cost of Rs. 11,999 for variants with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage.